Railway-rail clamp



I (No Model.)

W. H. BROOKS. RAILWAY RAIL CLAMP.

Patented Sept. 22, 1891.

1'"! Mom: PfiTERS in, run-ravine, manmwnu, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM H. BROOKS, OF \VEST POINT, NEIV YORK.

RAI LWA Y-RA| L C LAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,741, datedSeptember 22 1891.

Application filed December 3, 1890. Serial No. 873,439. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BROOKS, of West Point, county of Orange,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Railway-Rail Clamps, of which the following is full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention has relation to metallic clamps for securing railway-railsupon their ties, the object of my invention being to produce a simple,cheap, and eflicient clamp, which may be readily and quickly appliedatany part of the rail, which will hold the rail properly and withoutdamage to or wear upon the tie, and which will admit of the ready,accurate, and easy adjustment or lining up of the rail as oocasion mayrequire. To accomplish all of this and to secure other and furtheradvantages in the matters of construction, operation, and use, myimprovements include certain novel and useful features of invention, aswill be herein first fully described, and then pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a top or plan view showing one of my improved clamps applied inconnection with a railwayrail. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of thesame on a plane cutting across the rail; and Fig. 3is an elevation froma point at the left of Fig. 1, showing the manner of applying the clampwith one nut-bolt and one spike. Fig. 4: is a plan View like Fig. 1, butshowing the clamp applied with two spikes. Fig. 5 is a sectionalelevation like Fig. 2, but showing the clamp applied with one spike andone lag-screw.

k In all the figures like letters of reference, wherever they occur,indicate corresponding parts.

A represents a railway-rail, and B one of the cross-ties which supportit. 0 O are metallic self-holding shields affixed to the tie by simplydriving in the bent corners a a. These and form a channel between them,in which the clamp may be adjusted.

The clamp is made in two principal parts, the lower part D being turnedor bent or formed at one end, as at b, so as to bear upon the flange ofthe'railon one side, as indicated, having on that end an elongated slotoropening 0 and at the other end an elongated perforation d, this partof the clamp being long enough to reach under the rail. The other pieceor binder, represented at E, bears upon the opposite side or flange ofthe railv and is provided withan elongated perforation e and on itsunder'face with a projection f, which enters the perforation d and ridestherein, so thatthe clamp may be securely fitted to the rail. The twoparts of the clamp when assembled have their upper faces inclineddownwardly and away from the position of the rail, substantially asindicated. When in place on the rail and between the shields, the slot 0is located on the outside of the track. A spike, as F, is driven downthrough slot 0 and into the tie. The particular spike F shown in thedrawings is double-headed, and the under faces of the head are inclinedso as to bear fairly on the clamp when the spike is driven in a verticaldirection; but any ordinary railroadspike may be used and, if necessary,more than one such to make the holding secure.

Then it is desired to make the clamp adjustable with the rail, and thatis one of the main advantages of theimprovement, the fastening oppositethe spike is made in the form of a screw or bolt.

G represents an ordinary nut-bolt, which passes up through the tiethrough the perforations in the lower part of the clamp and in thebinder and through a washer H, which rides upon the binder. The bolt maybe made secure by any nut or nut-lock, as g. Instead of this form ofbolt the wood-screw or lagscrew G may be employed, as shown in Fig. 5,having the advantage of being capable of being turned in from the top ofthe clamp, the clamp being thus located and arranged to adjust the rail,as when it is necessary to take up any spread or when desired to line upthe rail the bolt or screw has only to be loosened a trifle and theclamp and rail together forced to the desired position, when both areset by tightening the screw or bolt and driving the spike down to a firmbearing. The projection f carries the binder with the clamp as thelattel-moves, so that the alignments may be made without disarrangingeither of the parts. \Vhen it is desired to hold the railimmovably, asin positions where no adjustments are liable to be required, the sameclamp is employed and is secured to the tie and rail by employment of asecond spike F, omitting the screw or bolt and the beveled washer, asindicated in Fig. 4. The inclined faces of the clamp add to the securityof the device when located for use, for if the fastening on either sideshould become loosened a constantly-increasing height of metal must becrowded under the head of the fastener before the rail or the clampcould be shifted, as will be readily understood. By substituting a boltor bolts for the spike or spikes the improved form of clamp may beapplied on metallic as well as on wooden ties.

The improved device admits of the withdrawal of a tie from under therails and a substitution of another Without in any way disturbing therails or any of the other ties, and is well calculated to answer thepurposes or objects of the invention previously set forth.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new herein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a clamp for railway-rails, the lower section having an elongatedslot or opening at one end and an elongated perforation at the other,the same being combined with the similarly-perforated binder and thefasteners and made adjustable with the rail, the upper faces of theclamp being inclined, substan' tially as shown and described.

2. In a clamp for railway-rails, the lower section having an elongatedslot or opening at one end and an elongated perforation at the other,the same being combined with the similarly-perforated binder and thefasteners and made adjustable with the rail, the said binder carrying aprojection which enters the elongated perforation in the lower section,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a clamp for railway-rails, the lower section having an elongatedslot or opening at one end and an elongated perforation at the other,the similarlyperforated binder mounted on the lower section, the beveledwasher mounted on the binder and the fasteners, these parts beingcombined and arranged as explained, so that the clamp may be adjustedwith the rail, as shown and described.

4. In combination with a railway rail and tie, a clamp for the rail,fasteners for the clamp, and the two shields applied upon the tie oneach side of the clamp, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand inthe presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. BROOKS.

Vitnesses:

THOS. P. Soo'r'r, JOHN G. PAUCK.

